GM's Bob Lutz Runs Out of Juice
July 15, 2008
GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz is the greatest champion for the Chevrolet Volt, which runs on electricity but has a back-up gasoline engine to generate power for the battery. He became even more of a fan of the concept when his battery-powered motor scooter ran out juice.
In June, Lutz took delivery of a Vectrix electric scooter, an event captured on YouTube as he took his first test drive.
However, one on of his first solo, long-distance rides, Lutz ran into trouble. "The gauge showed I had 19 miles of power left," Lutz related on a conference call of bloggers Tuesday. "But when it hit 17, it came to a complete stop. I had no battery left.
"When you are out in the middle of nowhere with an electric vehicle, and you have no back-up powerplant, you are truly, truly screwed," said Lutz, who also owns four Segways and other electric motorbikes. "You can't go to the nearest wall outlet and bring back five gallons of electricity."
Indeed, Lutz had to call for a lift home and the gauge has since been repaired.
Photo by GM
GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz is all grins as he steps out a mule vehicle installed with the Chevrolet Volt's E-Flex powertrain.
Posted by Michelle Krebs at 1:31 PM under GM , Personalities , Technology | Comments (0) | digg this | Seed Newsvine
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